Piano



Jan. 9, 1940. A. H. MoRsE Er AL PIANO Filed June 24, 1937 INVENTORS MM? ZZm MXW Patented Jan. 9, 1940 PIANO Arthur H. Morse and Armand F. Knoblaugh, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to ,The Baldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Application June 24, 1937, Serial No. 150,191

6 Claims.

Our invention has reference to upright pianos of reduced height, in which the striking and damping mechanism, conveniently called the action, is located at least partly below the keyboard level. In these pianos means must be provided for transferring the motions of the keys downward to the action. The present invention pertains to improvements in these transferring means, in co-ordination with the other operative parts, and in this we have in mind not only the improved operations of the instruments for the production of music but facility in their manufacture and repair.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide operative connections between the keys and action of a compressed upright piano whereby these connections may be manufactured and assembled into a unit for all the notes, quite independent of the rest of the piano, andthen installed as such in the instrument, just as the keyboard and action assemblies are installed in the process of constructing an upright piano.

A second object of the invention is to provide a motion transmitting assembly that, being installed in the piano, the addition of the action assembly to the piano automatically establishes operative connections between these'two assemblies, note for note of the instrument.

A third object is to provide a motion transmitting assembly so that the installation of it and the keyboard in the piano, as two independent units automatically establishes operative connections between these, note for note.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide a simple means such that the motions of the rear ends of the keys are transferred to the action in the same amounts and direction, directly without amplification or reduction and without intermediate levers.

It is seen that the attainment of the above objects provides that the operation of the piano is complete as an incidental to its assembly, requiring but minor adjustments, thereby achieving facility and lowered cost in manufacture and repair. Moreover, the means for operatively connecting the keys and action may be an independently pre-assembled, completed unit for all the notes, as are the action assembly and keyboard in conventional upright piano manufacture. Furthermore, simple and direct connecting means are thereby provided.

Other objects are:

To provide conventional keys which may be pivoted intermediate of their ends, which may carry conventional regulating means in their rear (Cl. 84-240) i,

To provide an arrangement requiring small 15 7 space so as not to disturb the appearance of the piano.

The manner in which these objects are attained, and the attainment of other objects which may occur to those reading this specification, is 20' clearly shown in the following description and drawing which form a part hereof. In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side View of the piano of our invention, showing for convenience 5 only those parts essential thereto. (The damper mechanism, for instance, and the front part of the key have been omitted in the interest of clarity and to permit a larger drawing) Figure 2 is a side view, slightly enlarged, of the 30 connecting link forming part of our invention;

Figure 3 is a top view of the link of Figure 2 (and Figure 1) Figure 4 is a top View of an upper guide rail; and 35 Figure 5 is a top view of a lower guide rail.

With reference to Figure 1, a compressed upright piano includes a keybed l and a structural back 2 which may be united by side arms (not shown) in any of the known ways. The back 2 0 supports a soundboard 3 and string plate 4 in a conventional manner. A number of vibratory strings such as 5 are tensioned on the plate 4 to co-operate with the board 3 in the production of sound. On the upper surface of the keybed I 45 is a keyboard including a plurality of interme diatelypivoted keys as 6.

A motion transmitting assembly 1 includes an upper rail 8, a lower rail 9, a plurality of nearly vertical translatory links I0, and brackets H. Of 50 the brackets H there may be a convenient number, of which we prefer four at suitable spacing, and these are screwed to the underside of the keybed I so as to project rearwardly, downwardly, and upwardly therefrom, Rails 8 and 9 are sup: v

ported by the brackets II, as shown, and may extend substantially the inner length of the piano. As is displayed, the rail 8 is supported above the rear part of the bed I while rail 9 is below and located somewhat rearwardly thereof.

The rails 8 and 9 serve as guides'for the translatory links In, of which there are as many as notes in the piano. The rail 9 contains a plurality of'holes I2 (Figure 5) in which the lower cylindrical portions'of the links it are guided, while the upper rail 8 has corresponding slots I3 (Figure 4) for guiding the upper flattened portions of these links and preventing the swiveling thereof. A cap strip I4 is provided for this upper rail.

Now it will be seen that in keeping with the spirit of this invention and its objects, the as sembly 1 comprising the rails 8:and 9, links Ill and brackets H may be completed quite independent of the piano and installed therein by merely screwing the rail-spaced brackets II to the underside of keybed I.

Located generally to the rear of the assembly i is a conventional upright action assembly I5,

5, place in the piano, the locating of the action [5 in the instrument automatically establishes'an operative connection between the action and the motion transmitting assembly, each conventional wippen 20 resting on the upper section of the S- bend of the corresponding link It]. The lower section of each S-bend, for adapting the link aroundand upwardly in-front ofthe action, is

widened by. flattening, for strengthening purposes. It is evident from the disclosure that the conventional action assembly 15 may be removed and installed as. is the action of a conventional upright piano. 1

Just below the upper guided part on each link ill, is formed a horizontal, forwardly extending shelf 2!. This, when the keyboard is installed in the piano, rests, on the capstan screw 22 in the rear part of the corresponding key 6 to establish automatically an operative connection between the key and the link.

Certain features ofthe link ll] are not novel in this disclosure; we refer to a copending application SerialNo. 125,771, filed by Arthur H.

Morse, one of the present applicants, in the 'United States Patent .Office, on February 15, 1937, for a Piano key and action connection.

It will be seen that in the operation of the piano or" our invention the links the motions at the rear of the keys 6 in the same amounts and directionto the under sides ofthe wippens 29 as these motions are transferred in conventional upright pianos. Thus, the downward motion of the front partJof a key 6 raises the rear part; the capstan screw 22 attacks the shelf 2! and impels the link Iii into translatory,

nearly vertical motion; and the motion of the link motivates the wippen 20, thus causing the action to operate upon the hammer 23, striking the string 5 to produce a piano tone.

It is desired that the above disclosure be exemplary and not restrictive, for modifications I I! transfer on said bracket means above said keys, a second rail supported on said bracket means below said keys, each of said rails having transverse apertures therein, and a plurality of elongated motion transmitting members having end portions moving in and guided by the apertures in said 'rails'respectively, said motion transmitting members having means intermediate their ends and located near said lower rail for transmitting motion to said action and having means intermediate their ends and located near said upper rail forreceiving motion from said keys, said last mentioned means comprising rigid arms extending from said motion transmitting members in a direction to overlie the ends of said keys and to be contacted thereby for motion transmitting purposes at points interspaced from the axes of said motion transmitting members.

2. An upright piano including a key-bed, a keyboard comprising a pluralityof keys supported on said key bed, an action locatedto the rear of said keys and at least partially below the level thereof, bracket means supported on said key bed and having rearwardly disposed portions extending both upwardly from and downwardly'from said key bed, a rail supported on; said bracket means'above said keys, a second rail supported on said bracket means below said 46 keys, each of said rails having transverse aper- '45 members having means intermediate their ends and locatednear said lower rail for transmitting bers in a direction to overlie the ends of said keys and to be contacted thereby for motion transmitting purposes at points interspaced from the axes or said motion transmitting members,

the apertures in at least one of said rails being non-symmetrical in cross section and the corre- 'sponding end portions of said motion transmit ting members being shaped to conform to said apertures, whereby twisting of said members in said apertures is prevented for the purpose of maintaining the alignment of said motion transmitting members and said keys and action-respectively. v

3. Ina motion transmitting assembly for a piano having an action with wippens and a key bed assemblyincluding keys, the combination of bracket means attachable to said key bed and having portions extending behind saidkey bed in both upwardly and'downwardly directions, -a

rail attached to the upwardly extending portions of said bracket means so that 'said rail lies above said keys, a' 'rail attached to the downwardly "eX-' tending portions of said bracket means so'that" said rail lies below said keys, and motion transmitting members having end portions journaled for purely axial longitudinal movement in apertures in said rails respectively, said motion transmitting members having rigid abutment means intermediate their ends near the upper portion thereof extending forwardly over said keys whereby to receive the motion of said keys, and rearwardly extending abutment means intermediate their ends and positioned to underlie said wippens whereby to impart the motion of said keys to said wippens, the said motion transmitting assembly being otherwise independent of said keys and said Wippens, and unitary in structure whereby it constitutes a structure Which may be separately removed without disturbing the relationship of the action and the keys.

4. A motion transmitting assembly as set forth in claim 3 including means for preventing an axial twisting motion of said motion transmitting members, whereby the alignment of said extensions is maintained.

5. An upright piano including a key bed, a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys supported on said key bed, an action located to the rear of said keys and at least partially below the level thereof, a rail supported above the rear ends of said keys, a second rail supported below the rear ends of said keys, each of said rails having transverse apertures therein, and a plurality of elongated motion transmitting members having end portions moving in and guided by the apertures in said rails respectively, said motion transmitting members having means intermediate their ends and located near said lower rail for transmitting motion to said action and having means intermediate their ends and located near said upper rail for receiving motion from said keys, said last mentioned means comprising rigid arms extending from said motion transmitting members in a direction to overlie the ends of said keys and to be contacted thereby for motion transmitting purposes at points interspaced from the axes of said motion transmitting members.

6. An upright piano including a key bed, a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys supported on said key bed, an action located to the rear of said keys and at least partially below the level thereof, a rail supported above the rear ends of said keys, a second rail supported below the rear ends of said keys, each of said rails having transverse apertures therein, and a plurality of elongated motion transmitting members having end portions moving in and guided by the apertures in said rails respectively, said motion transmitting members having means intermediate their ends and located near said lower rail for transmitting motion to said action and having means intermediate their ends and located near said upper rail for receiving motion from said keys, said last mentioned means comprising rigid arms extending from said motion transmitting members in a direction to overlie the .ends of said keys and to be contacted thereby for motion transmitting purposes at points interspaced from the axes of said motion transmitting members, the apertures in at least one of said rails being nonsymmetrical in cross section and the corresponding end portions of said motion transmitting members being shaped to conform to said apertures, whereby twisting of said members in said apertures is prevented for the purpose of maintaining the alignment of said motion transmitting members and said keys and action respectively.

ARTHUR H. MORSE. ARMAND F. KNOBLAUGH. 

